RANSA MEMBER FORUM  5PM Friday -21st May, 2021

Followed by Happy Hour and refreshments by Navy Bear. The Navy Bear Café has now been open for over 6 months and it is appropriate to review progress to date. Overall, the response has been very positive, and the Café is adding to our revenue and financial viability, as well as now providing onsite food services for Members 7 days a week. Also, as the RANSA Heritage Shed is a building located within the Historic Naval Public Recreational Reserve, it is positive to share parts of our Club with the local community. There have been many Member questions and comments, and a lot can be answered by summarising the rather complex and lengthy process that was required to allow the Café. To assist, I have prepared a brief background summary below, together with a list of work yet to be done to complete the project in coming months. For further questions and discussion, we have scheduled a MEMBER FORUM at the Club with our Club Officers and Navy Bear. All are welcome, and to assist organise the event if you have particular items you wish to raise, please email the Office by the Wednesday, prior to the event, to so we can respond with the appropriate information. We will also minute the Forum discussion to further respond if required to the matters raised. To continue with an informal discussion, and to involve the many dedicated RANSA Members who have played a role with negotiations for the Café over the years, the Whaler Bar will be open for Happy Hour from 6PM with food refreshments supplied by Navy Bear. I Look forward to seeing you on Friday 21st May.

Kind Regards Bill

Bill Wyllie Commodore -

RANSA Ph Office: +61 9363 9939

E: commodore@ransa.com.au

RANSA MEMBER CAFÉ UPDATE – Autumn 2021 With the summer sailing season over our new Navy Bear catering arrangements will continue to open 7 days a week through our winter sailing season, and indeed the whole year. As previously mentioned, we have been listening to Members' comments about the introduction of the Café, now over 6 months old. To respond to some of those questions and comments we briefly summarise the background and reasons for the Cafés introduction, and our current planned improvements around the Club. If some Members wish to ask further questions or suggestions a Member Forum will be available on Friday May 7th, details attached.

Café Background: The Café was introduced after an extensive member survey was undertaken some years ago which identified the lack of good food service as the standout request to improve RANSA Member facilities and Club utilisation. Since that time, it was a long process to bring a Café into reality at RANSA. To open a Café within a public Heritage zone is a complex process. The RANSA Heritage Sailing Shed under our Naval stewardship is also located within Australia’s oldest extant Naval Base, HMAS Rushcutter. The RANSA shed is one of several buildings in the Rushcutters Bay Maritime Reserve which is managed by Woollahra Council. RANSA leases the Sailing Club from Council. (For those interested, we will post on the website an extract from the National Estate Database, which makes wonderful reading about the historic nature of the area in which the Club exists.) For a café to be viable and regularly open, greater patronage was required than could be offered by RANSA Members alone. In addition, to open a Café, the Council required a separate café licence. And to provide and allow for the patronage of the local community, a newly/restructured lease was required for RANSA which would allow and include provision for a shared Café area within the Club. However, as well as a new lease, a Development Application was required to be lodged for any changes to the Club. As part of that process, a Heritage Impact Statement was required. Overall, these applications needed to ensure the nature of the café use would improve community access of the area, continue to support the ongoing operations of the Sailing Club, and all without any major alterations or additions to Heritage nature of the site.

In summary, these changes involved significant time and effort from several incredibly dedicated RANSA Club Members. In addition, the willingness of Navy Bear to participate and assist in the documentation. Navy Bear were also required to enter a separate Café rental lease/licence directly with Woollahra Council. Finally, a separate Deed was also written between RANSA and Navy Bear to ensure RANSA Sailing and other activities were accommodated under the new arrangements, and for Navy Bear to also reimburse/pay RANSA, as well as Council, for the use of the premises. As such, structuring the arrangement took some years. And a little unexpectedly, after addressing all the complex issues, the café was allowed to open late last year. And with the enthusiasm of our Navy Bear operator to make a success, every table was numbered – and tables located in every available space. And the local community flooded in -most never having been aware of our unique rustic waterfront facility at their doorstep. I would be included in wondering at that time what just happened to our Club.

There were many comments, for example: The .. canteen separating and conquering! .. .. If we share the space with the local community then that sharing needs to be mutual In retrospect, I am sure we would all agree our communication to members could have been better at that time. Then COVID raised its head! We believe the early rush has settled, and we are working through the issues to create an environment where the priority of RANSA sailing activities are paramount and the local community can share in the facilities.

The Café benefits can be summarised:

 Good food services are available at the club at most times, including weekends.

 The Club benefits from an income stream paid by the Café.

 Some areas of the club, previously underutilised, are now shared with the local community.

 Some areas of the club not previously available for Members, will be opened for Member exclusive use.

 Good food services within the shared community Café space Navy Bear is open 7 days a week for breakfast, coffee, and lunch.

 A Member online booking process is available via the RANSA website.

 A 10% discount at Navy Bear is available for RANSA Sailing Members.

As we work with Navy Bear some areas have been allocated and identified for Members use. The inside waterfront zone has proved successful, well used, and will now be more clearly marked. There are more possibilities as members patronage increases during Café hours. Opening of Other Areas of the Club Previously the Galley /kitchen area, now used by Navy Bear, was available only for a select few.

TBD: Now, under the new DA, a new Member galley/kitchenette/fridge will be installed off the entrance corridor. This is being installed for all Members use for self-catering, particularly out of Café hours in the afternoon or evening. NOTE: The RANSA limited liquor licensing arrangements allow only 50 functions a year. However, it does provide an offset. - For Café dining, and at other times, Members (ONLY) can (BYO) bring their own drinking preferences. The Whaler Bar Previously has only been accessible to Members when the Bar is Open.

TBD The Whaler Bar décor is to be upgraded and the area outside the bar service area will always become a more comfortable and usable area for exclusive Members use.

The Deck on the north side TBD, and renamed the Fo’c’sle, the area is being cleared and a new decked installed to make more usable and accessible - a significant task. For those who have ventured out there it offers a prime Harbour position and will be a welcome addition to the Member facilities available in the Club. Whether in Café hours, or in the event of private Member functions, these will be Member sanctioned areas.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT CLUB IMPROVEMENTS

Unrelated to the introduction of our Café there are significant improvements in many areas of the Club. These have been primarily driven by Cam Wayland whose contribution over many years has been absolutely remarkable. Most would have noted great improvements on the website, members CRM & communication, use of computers for the administration as well security cameras throughout for controls and club safety. And now Cam is implementing the Members card system to recognise discounts and provide electronic club access, which will require in July 2021 a change in locks to all areas the club. Cam will also be available at the Forum to describe these improvements in more detail and respond to questions. Summary We hope the above provides some background and describes our current plans surrounding the changes and the introduction of the Café into our Club.

If you would like to know more, ask more questions, or make suggestions, please join the Forum.